Calcium-carbid cartridge.



"No.' 635,455. Patented Oct. 24, I899. r. L.WHITE.

CALCIUM CARBID CARTRIDGE.

(Application filed Tue 20, 1898.)

(Nd Modal.)

Inventor.

Attorneys m: uonms Pmns 00.. mmamwau WASHINGTON, u. c.

NITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

FREDERICK L. WHITE, oE WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, AssIeNoR TO GEORGE H.CLowEs, 0E SAMEPLAOE.

CALCIUM-CARBID CARTRIDGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 635,455, dated October24, 1899.

Application filed (Time 20, 1898. Serial No. 683,953. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK L. WHITE, a citizen of the United States,residing at WVaterbury, in the county of New Haven and State ofConnecticut, have-invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cakesof Calcium (Jarbid, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention comprises as a new article of manufacture a cake of calciumcarbid, with means for distributing Water or other liquid throughout thesame.

The object of my invention is to distribute water or other liquidequally to all parts of a cake of calcium carbid; and to this end myinvention consists in the cake of calcium carbid having certainpeculiarities of construction, as will be hereinafter described, andmore particularly pointed out in the claims.

Actual practice has demonstrated that by the method nowin vogue ofcontinuously dropping water upon one portion of the cake of calciumcarbid to produce acetylene gas that portion only is consumed whichimmediately surrounds the water-receiving portion, leaving a ring ofunused carbid outside the lime residue. By this practice a considerableportion of the original cake of carbid is not consumed and is thrownaway as worthless, adding greatly to the expense of generating acetylenegas and reducing materially the length of time that a cake can be used.Several methods have been derived to overcome this objection, the chiefone being to present water to the cake of calcium carbid from severaljets, thus distributing the water over a greater area; but this methodproved defective, because more gas was produced than could be consumed.My improved means consist generally in providing a cake of calciumcarbid having a central hole, with a ring of absorbent material withinthe said hole, and a continuous strip of absorbent material extendingfrom the central portion thereof to its periphery, which when moistdistributes the water equally to all parts of the cake without anoverproduction of gas. Referring to the drawings, in which like numeralsdesignate like parts in both views,

Figure 1 is a top View of a cake of calcium carbid embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of the same.

lhe numeral 1 designates a circular cake of calcium carbid having a hole2 passing transversely through its central portion.

3 designates a strip of absorbent material, preferably blotting-paper,embedded in one side of the cake, as shown in Fig. 2, which extends fromthe central portion to the periphery of the cake in a series ofconvolutions about the axis thereof, and 4t designates a circular ringof absorbent material within the hole 2.

I prefer to embed the strip 3 in one side of the cake; but it may extendcompletely through the same within my invention.

It is apparent that by dropping water within the hole 2, and thusmoistening the ring 4, or by dropping water upon any portion of the cakeof calcium carbid, as herein described, it will percolate through thecarbid sulficiently to reach some portion of the strip 3, which, beingof absorbent material, absorbs the water and moistens the whole stripfrom end to end. The moisture is thus distributed equally throughout thecake and all of the carbid is consumed, leaving nothing but the limeresidue.

It is not essential that there should be a hole in the cake. Neither isthe shape of the cake nor the path of the strip material to myinvention, and I do not. limit myself therefore to a cake of circularform or to a strip of material forming a series of convolutions aboutthe axis thereof.

I am aware that it is old to use radial partitions within a receptaclecontaining loose carbid and to compress carbid into a cake. I do nottherefore claim such as my invention; but

What I do claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. As a new article of manufacture, a cake of calcium carbid having astrip of absorbent material forming part thereof and extending from itscentral portion to its periphery in a series of convolutions,substantially as described.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a cake of calcium carbid having astrip of absorbent material embedded in one side thereof and of the saidcake in a series of convolutions, IO describing a series of convolutionsfrom the substantially as described. center to its periphery,substantially as de- 3 In testimony whereof I aflix my signaturescribed. in presence of two Witnesses.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a cake 7 n 1 of calciumcarbidhavinga hole therethrougli, FREDERICK VIII 1 a ring of absorbentmaterial Within the said \Vitnesses: hole and a strip of absorbentmaterial ex- EDW. S. GOODMAN, tending from the said hole to theperiphery GEO. E. HALL.

